Keyed cithern.



(No Model.)

Patented Apr. 30, I90I.

J. PARDUBA.

KEYED CITHERN.

(Application filed June 26, 1900.)

II II H II LILJI H II LII IL IL I1 II II II I UNITED STATES PATENT@rEicE.

JOHN PARDUBA, or NEwYonK, N. Y.

KEYED CITHERN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,027, dated April30, 1901.

Application filed June 26, 1900.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN PARDUBA, a citizen of the Empire ofAustria-I-Iungary,residing in New York, in the borough of Manhattan andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inKeyed Oitherns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention'relates to keyed citherns; and the object of theinvention is to provide a cithern of this style which may be played inmuch the same manner as a piano and which is comparatively simple inconstruc tion and in which the successive operations of sounding anddamping the strings are effectively and reliably performed, so that asuperior musical instrument of this class is furnished.

The invention consists of a cithern provided with spring-actuated keys,each key being provided with a spring-actuated picker and a dampingdevice on said picker; and the invention consists, further, in certaindetails of construction and combinations of parts,which will be morefully described hereinafter and finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan View of a cithernembodying my in vention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on line2 2, Fig. 1,.drawn in a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a vertical transversesection through one of the keys provided with two pickers, and Figs. 4,5, 6, and 7 are similar views showing a key provided with one picker insuccessive positions before and after sounding a string.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a cithern-body of the usualconstruction, and B a bridge extending transversely across the strings Oat the front of the instrument. The strings G are secured in the usualmanner to fastening-pins c at the front of the instrument and pass overan adjacent scale-rib d and thence to tuning-pins d at the rear of theinstrument. Below the bridge B is arranged a key-rail D, which issupported at the ends upon the cithern-body and which carries the rearends of a number of keys E. The keys are pivoted at their rear ends tothe key-rail D and actuated by a spring I), that is attached Serial No.21,632. (No model.)

to the key-rail D and that presses on the under side of each key E, asshown in Fig. 2. The key-rail is recessed for the rear ends of the keys,which are applied to a pivot-wire b, retained by metallic plates a onthe key-rail, said plates being of L-shaped cross-section and eachretained on the key-rail by a clamping-screw a. The outer end of eachkeylever is made of less thickness than the middle part and forms thekey proper and may be faced at its under side with a felt strip 0'. Thecurved middle portion 6 of the key is preferably provided with figuresand letters corresponding to the tone of the string which the particularkey sounds when depressed, so that the instrument can be playedaccording to the usual notation or according to an arbitrary notationexpressed in figures. A stop-rail F, supported in any suitable mannerand provided with a felt strip 0, serves to limit the downward movementof the keys. Each key-lever is provided at its under side with two lugse, which are connected by a pin 6 to which is pivoted a picker 6 eachpicker being composed of an angular portion 8 having a backwardly-bentsleeve-shaped rear end 6 and an upwardly-extending arm e ,which isengaged by a suitable india-rubber or other spring 6 by which the pickeris returned into normal position after having passed the string on theupward movement of the key. The picker is bent up of one piece of metaland provided with a filling f, of felt, that is located in the angularportion of the picker, and with a piece of felt f, placed upon theangular portion, the piecef serving to render the picker elastic and thepiece f serving as a damper when the picker contacts with the string onthe upward motion of the key, as shown in Fig. '7. The keys which soundthe accompanying chords are preferably provided with two pickers, asshown in Fig. 3, so as to engage two strings at one time.

When the instrument is to be operated, the keys at the right-hand side,which sound the leading strings, are depressed,-so as to play the air ofthe piece, and the keys for the accompanying strings are depressedeither siinultaneously or intermittently with the keys for the leadingstrings. During the depression of the key the inclined end of the pickerpasses over the string, and as the picker does not yield on the downwardmovement produces the vibration of the string and then passes below thesame. The key is raised by the spring 5 into normal position, and thereby the picker also raised above the string, as shown successively inFigs. 4:, 5, and 6. During the return the damper f contacts with thestring and clamps it and the picker swings 011 its pin, therebypermitting the angular portion of the picker to pass the string andswinging the arm 6 outwardly against the tension of the spring 6 thelatter returning the picker into normal position immediately the samehas passed the string.

My improved cithern has the advantage that it can be played as a pianoby any one familiar with that instrument and that the effectiveness ofthe cithern is greatly increased over the ordinary method of playing bymeans of a plectrum.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A cithern provided with spring-actuated keys, eachkey being provided with a springactuated picker, and a damping device onsaid picker, substantially as set forth.

2. A cithern provided with a plurality of piv oted and spring-actuatedkeys, each key being provided with a laterally-movable andspring-actuated picker applied to its under side, each picker having anangular portion, and a damping device secured to the picker above theangular portion of the same, substantially as set forth.

3. The com bination,\vith a cithern, of a keyrail supported on the sametransversely of the strings, a number of pivoted and spring-actuatedkeys pivoted to said key-rail, some of the keys being provided with onepivoted and springactuated picker, and others of the keys provided eachwith two pickers for engaging simultaneously two strings of theinstrument, and damping devices on said pickers, substantially as setforth.

4. A cithern provided with a plurality of pivoted and spring-actuatedkeys, some of said keys being provided each with a single pivoted andspring-actuated picker, and others of said keys being provided each withtwo of said pickers, and damping devices secured one to each picker, thepickers and damping devices of each two-picker key being adapted to picksimultaneously and damp simultaneously the two strings controlled bysaid key, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention 1 have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN PARDUBA.

\Vitnesses:

PAUL GoErEL, M. H. WUR'IZEL.

